At the end of the visit, my pediatrician smiled as he stood up, saying, “Well, Toddler Boy, we’ll see how your career goes at your three year checkup.” A part of me wanted more, though. Oh, I had no concerns about my child’s health. But he had just demonstrated how advanced he was. At barely 24 months, this little boy knew his shapes, colors, numbers, both uppercase and lowercase letters, and all the sounds they make. The pediatrician had watched this development through the past couple of years, sometimes having to go back to his office to grab a more advanced toy to assess things. I guess I hadn’t demonstrated enough of my feeling of being a little overwhelmed.

I knew that education wasn’t really the doctor’s job. I’d just hoped that maybe he’d have some leads. But as I reviewed the visit, I realized that our pediatrician, a man who has been in practice for 27 years, trusted me. He knew I would be able to figure it all out. He knew I would do a good job.

And that is all he really needed to do for my little man.

One other thing I noticed through all the checkups: The doctor was never present during vaccinations. One time in particular, he still had business with us after the vaccinations. He waited just outside the closed door while the nurses and I got the job accomplished, then came back in.

Toddler Boy gets very nervous around the nurses, but really likes the doctor. I imagine this happens with most of the young kids. As far as shots go, the doctor is the good guy. He didn’t do it. No one saw him. I feel kind of bad for the nurses.